


Interlude - Nothing out of the Ordinary

by Warflower



Series: Cain´s modern murder mysteries [15]
Category: Cain Saga and Godchild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cassian POV, Gen, Horrible vests for Alexis and Cassandra (also horrible personalities but what else is new), Mentions of murder/stalking and Alexis brand of Christianity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-23 00:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13775532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warflower/pseuds/Warflower
Summary: Jizabel attends a debriefing and Cassian meets Alexis.





	Interlude - Nothing out of the Ordinary

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the long wait, it is exam season and my Laptop is acting up again. Anyways, enjoy ;)

Lord Cassandra Gladstone was in a sour mood. But that could be expected. 

What couldn´t be expected was the way his eyes lit up, the moment they had sighed Cassian.

-And where do you think you are going? – With one swift movement he blocked Cassian´s path.

Cassian eyed the tall man in front of him, noted how his otherwise impeccable hair had a slightly ruffled look to it and even his waistcoat was less hideous than was his usual. Clearly the loss of one of his finest establishments to the metropolitan police had not left him unfazed. It had made him angry.

In fact, Cassian and Zenopia had placed a bet on how and when the High priest´s latest victim would be presented to them. Sooner rather than later, Cassian assumed, with blond hair not silver, and too young to resemble the Doctor.

The Doctor himself had not taken part in the bet, as he had been deployed on a secret mission from the Cardmaster. 

The report from said mission was due in ten minutes, so Cassian had to hurry up and get to the Cardmaster´s office, lest he embarrassed the Doctor in front of his father. 

-I have an appointment with the Cardmaster- Cassian declared -So if my Lord would kindly go out of my way. - 

A wolfish smile spread over Gladstone´s face. -I take it Jezebel is back from his little mission. –

Cassian did not deign him with an answer, but Gladstone did not need confirmation. -Oh, how I wish I could join you, debriefings are such a delight to watch, but alas, I have other obligations. -

When Gladstone did eventually step out of his way, he did so declaring -Send Jezebel my best wishes for a speedy recovery. –

And with a ruffling of Cassian´s hair Gladstone left. Leaving him to fume over his patronizing behaviour and odd comments regarding Jizabel.

 

The Cardmaster´s office was one of few offices within Delilah to have actual access to sunlight, combined with the oriental rug and the polished wood furniture, it gave the office an air of grandeur. But Cassian had no time to admire the office or the street beyond the windows, as he was indeed slightly late, and the debriefing was just about to begin.

Jizabel stood in front of the Cardmaster´s ornate mahogany desk looking like a schoolboy about to be scolded, his back was straight, and his head held high, and yet, Cassian had rarely seen him look so vulnerable.

The Cardmaster himself sat lounging behind his desk, a masked woman with brown skin and pale hair coldly standing guard at his side.

Alexis Hargreaves looked nothing like his bastard son. While they might have been similar in height, the Cardmaster was broadly built, not slender like Jizabel, their colouring, too, could harkly be more different. 

Like his second son, the Cardmaster was dark of hair and green of eyes, but above all he was imposing. 

The menace of his gaze was not diminished by the golden rim of his glasses, and the power of his bearing belied the ridiculousness of a vest so bright, he might have borrowed it from his second in command.

He leaned onto his desk and surveyed the room.

-Now that we are complete, might we get done with the debriefing? – he asked.

-Yes, father- Jizabel´s head bowed, not quite able to meet the Cardmaster´s eyes. 

-I take it that woman has been silenced. – The Cardmaster began.

-You know she has. – The doctor replied. -I entered the building wearing a guard´s uniform, nobody noticed, inside I disabled the electricity and was well on my way out before it came back on. –

Cassian wondered if he should be surprised that the Cardmaster used the Doctor as his personal assassin, but between the precision with which the Doctor wielded his scalpel and the delight he took in killing it seemed only fitting, after all, the man´s card was Death.

-I do- The Cardmaster confirmed, opening one of the newspapers stacked on the edge of his desk. -I also know you left behind a little souvenir. –

Cassian cast a nervous glance at the Doctor, but he did not seem to be unduly bothered.

He shrugged -In the prison´s med-bay, there are plenty of those. Nobody could possibly prove that this wasn´t an inside job. I am hardly stupid enough to leave evidence. –

-And yet all of my business associates have been reminded that there is no way of leaving Delilah. - The Cardmaster seemed pleased. He smiled -A message is only good if it reaches no eyes beyond those for which it is intended. –

A cold shiver ran down Cassian´s back, somehow, he had the feeling that the Cardmaster was watching him, that if he turned to run now the masked woman would put a bullet in the back of his head. And Cassian had thought of running, not often, he needed the medication Delilah provided him, but sometimes when he felt like he was slowly losing his humanity in the grind of this beastly machine, he dreamed of leaving and never coming back.

-Anyways, you obeyed my orders. Good job. –

There was a minute untensing in Jizabel´s shoulders. -Yes, - he said -I obeyed your orders. -

The Cardmaster nodded. -Ida- he said, and held out his hand. 

Jizabel stiffened again, worse than before, he was afraid, that much was obvious, afraid of his father, afraid of what was to come next. Afraid of Cassian watching. Cassian clenched his fists.

Only now did Cassian notice the whip that was tied to the masked woman´s belt. She handed it to the Cardmaster, who carefully examined it. 

-But surely you didn´t think that you have nothing to atone for, that you don´t have to be forgiven, just because you were acting on my behalf. He who breaks the commandments must be punished, there is no other way.- Cassian wondered if the Cardmaster was speaking to his son, or to the whip he was caressing -It says, after all, thou shalt not kill. Kneel. –

And Jizabel kneeled. 

Don´t Cassian wanted to say, wanted to shout at him, he can´t do this to you. It is not right. But Jizabel had already taken of his coat and brushed his hair forward, so it fell over his shoulder, now he was slowly unbuttoning his shirt, and his fingers were stiff, like he was supressing a tremble, of if he had already grown numb. And when his white shirt fell to the floor there were scars. 

His entire back seemed to be covered in them, some were silver and almost faded against his pale skin, others were fresh, just scabbed over, like the flesh beneath had not had the time to fix itself, but all of them were thin and long, like the whip resting in the hands of his father.

-Do you want to turn around? – The Cardmaster asked as he got up from his chair, he was watching Cassian with a contemplative smile. 

Jizabel flinched, his father´s remark an unwelcome reminder that they were not alone, that Cassian was watching, he made to turn his head, as if to look back at Cassian, then he changed his mind and dropped it, not able to face the witness to his humiliation. 

The Cardmaster unrolled his whip, Cassian was shaking in anger.

He swallowed, the whip cracked, and that fine pale back in front of him split open. 

Jizabel bit back a scream, hands shaking where his fingers were clawed into the soft oriental rug.

Another crack and bits of scab were torn loose as old wounds reopened.

A third and small streams of blood were running down Jizabel´s back and soaking the back of his trousers. He whimpered but his mouth remained shut. 

The fourth strike hit higher, it caught in Jizabel´s hair, and he screamed as a handful of strands was torn loose. 

The Cardmaster was smiling as his strikes picked up speed, and transfixed Cassian could only watch Jizabel breaking. Strike after strike, scream after scream, tear after tear. 

 

-This should do for now. – The Cardmaster said as he rerolled his whip. When he shook it a small spray of blood-drops hit the carpet to their feet. Cassian looked down at his shoes and swallowed bile, he was standing on an uneven pattering of rusty spots. 

Jizabel was still lying slumped onto the carpet, small puddles of blood and loose strands of hair all around him, unbothered the Cardmaster picked up his clothes and thrust them at Cassian. -Take him to his room- he said. 

Cassian nodded, he did not look at the Cardmaster for fear of revealing his rage, his hatred, but the Cardmaster laughed, like he knew anyway. 

 

-Hey- carefully Cassian nudged Jizabel´s side, well, as careful as you could be nudging somebody with your foot. Alexis was still in the room, filling out paperwork like nothing had happened and Cassian did not want to give away his worry. -You should get up. -

Jizabel groaned. Cassian looked to Ida for help, but the bodyguard was just as unresponsive as the Cardmaster. 

-Do you need help? – he asked. Deciding that fuck it if anyone noticed, if it became necessary he would carry Jizabel all the way back to his rooms.

-Leave me- Croaked the Jizabel, slowly struggling back onto his elbows. When he met Cassian´s gaze his eyes were empty, two pale mirrors and a face that was white as milk, surrounded by a nest of silvery hair. He looked angelic. 

Undeterred, Cassian grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his knees. -I´m not going to leave you. – He declared, then added with a glance at the Cardmaster -I am going to escort you back to your room, as I was ordered. –

Jizabel grimaced, Cassian couldn´t blame him, he felt like grimacing too.

Carefully Cassian hoisted Jizabel´s arm over his shoulders and step by step he lead the stumbling doctor back to his rooms. 

Jizabel ignored his questions all the way there.

-Are you okay? – 

-You need I doctor, do you want me to take you to see Zenopia? –

-Why does he do this? – 

-How often does he do this? – 

-Is there anything I can do to help? – 

They reached Jizabel´s room without another word from the doctor. Inside they were awaited by a bouquet of red roses in a pretty vase and a get better soon card. 

It was signed by none other than Lord Cassandra Gladstone. 

-Fuck- Cassian said as Jizabel stared at the roses in horror, it seemed like an understatement. 

-Don´t worry- he promised the doctor, -I´m going to take care of this, and then I am going to patch up your wounds. Okay? –

Jizabel said nothing as Cassian grabbed the flowers, he intended to throw them away in the small kitchen at the end of the corridor. 

Of course, the moment he had left Jizabel´s room he heard the door bang shut behind him, followed by the soft click of the lock.

Drawing a deep breath Cassian turned around. He knocked. 

-Doctor? – he asked -Will you let me in? –

There was movement behind the door, but it remained safely locked. Cassian regarded the roses in his hands, he hated the thought that Gladstone knew, that everyone had known it before him. Why had everyone known before him? He´d had all the signs, hadn´t he? And yet, he had been to blind to see.

-Please, Jizabel, let me help you. – He begged. He hated that there was nothing that he could possibly do. 

Behind closed doors he heard the sound of breaking glass.


End file.
